DEAD AT FIRST SIGHT BY PETER JAMES AT NUMBER ONE IN THE BESTSELLER CHARTS

Peter James’ fifteenth Detective Superintendent Roy Grace novel, DEAD AT FIRST SIGHT, shot straight to the Number One spot in the Sunday Times bestseller list this past Bank Holiday weekend. Launched with a splendid party on Brighton Pier and topping the charts after only a part-week sale, DEAD AT FIRST SIGHT is Peter’s fourteenth Nnumber One bestselling novel and holds strong at Number One for this coming weekend too!

In DEAD AT FIRST SIGHT, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace exposes the dark side of the internet. He is called to investigate the suicide of a woman in Brighton that is clearly not what it seems. As his investigations continue, a handsome Brighton motivational speaker comes forward. He’s discovered his identity is being used to scam women online. The first he knew of it was a phone call from one of them, out of the blue, saying, ‘You don’t know me, but I thought I knew you’. That woman is now dead. Roy Grace realises he is looking at the tip of an iceberg. A global empire built on clever, cruel internet scams and the murder of anyone who threatens to expose them.

Peter James’ Roy Grace series has been translated into thirty-seven languages with worldwide sales of over nineteen million copies. In 2015 WH Smith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award.

Peter James at the DEAD AT FIRST SIGHT launch in Brighton.
Credit: Graham Franks

Pan Macmillan will publish the paperback of his standalone thriller ABSOLUTE PROOF in July 2019 and THE SECRET OF COLD HILL, the sequel to THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (which has also been adapted for stage and touring this year) in October 2019.

Praise for Peter James:

‘Peter James, Britain’s closest equivalent to Stephen King’ — Sunday Times

'Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business.' – Karin Slaughter

‘In my thirty-four years of policing, never have I come across a writer who so accurately depicts “The Job“’ – Detective Investigator Pat Lanigan, Office of the District Attorney, NYPD

‘Sinister and riveting… Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world.’ – Lee Child

HEAD OF ZEUS PRE-EMPTS TWO NEW DANI ATKINS NOVELS

Credit: Hannah Couzens

Dani Atkins is returning to Head of Zeus after the publisher pre-empted her new novel in a two-book deal.

Head of Zeus published Atkin’s first two novels FRACTURED and THE STORY OF US  following a deal in 2013, before the author went on to write a trio of Simon & Schuster titles.

The first new book, A MILLION DREAMS, will be published in hardback, export trade paperback, e-book and audio in November, 2019. Publishing director Laura Palmer acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in a pre-empt from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann.

A MILLION DREAMS tells the story of Beth, a young widow, who discovers that the embryo she and her husband froze before his death was implanted in the wrong woman. Her longed-for child, now a seven-year-old boy, is growing up without her.

Palmer said: “I just love Dani's gripping, emotional, uplifting stories. She writes books you want to curl up with, but they also make you think. I could not be more excited that Dani Atkins is coming back to Head of Zeus.”

Atkins added: “I’m delighted to be back at Head of Zeus, my first publishing home. Working with my editor Laura Palmer has always been a joy, and the enthusiasm from the whole team for this book has been incredibly exciting.”

TRAILER RELEASED FOR SUPERVISED BY ANDY BRIGGS →

Andy Briggs’ new film, SUPERVISED, will be released in select theatres and on demand on the 19th July 2019.

 

Real superheroes get better with age. Tom Berenger and Beau Bridges lead this delightful comedy centered around a group of senior superheroes spending their twilight years in a nursing home in Ireland. When Ray (Berenger) suspects foul play at the nursing home, he reassembles his old team for one last mission, proving that saving the world never gets old.

 

SUPERVISED promises to be a warm and funny subversion of the superhero genre, combining all the eccentricities of the old British retiring home with all the high-flying action you’d expect.

 

Supervised is a Lionsgate film, directed by Steve Barron, and written by Andy Briggs and John Niven.

 

Watch the trailer here, and don’t forget to look out for the release!

Headline pre-empts HERMIT, S.R. White's remarkable crime debut

Blake Friedmann is delighted to announce the acquisition of HERMIT by S.R. White, an extraordinary debut that follows – over a single day ─ the investigation of a murder in a small Australian town.

Editorial Director Toby Jones at Headline bought world rights to HERMIT and a sequel in a pre-emptive deal struck with Hattie Grunewald at Blake Friedmann.  It is set to be a major launch title for Headline in early 2021.

Taking place over just 12 hours, HERMIT sees detective Dana Russo unravel the murder of a local shopkeeper in rural Australia. Dana must interrogate the prime suspect, Nathan Whittler – an almost silent, desperately awkward man who appears to have been living off grid, with no human contact, for fifteen years. Without conclusive forensics linking him to the killing, it’s a race against time to extract a confession. But over a series of seven intense interviews, Dana must herself open up – despite the past traumas it will force her to confront – to persuade Nathan to reveal himself.

Toby Jones said: ‘HERMIT is an astonishing, character-driven debut: compulsive, exquisitely layered, charged with an electric atmosphere. Like the best thrillers, the breathless suspense propels you from page to page while the dazzling, perceptive writing addresses profound questions. Within minutes of starting the novel, we all knew we were in the presence of a major new talent.’

Hattie Grunewald said: ‘It is one of the highest joys in agenting to orchestrate a perfect match between author and publisher, and so I'm thrilled about this deal - the combination of S.R. White’s sharp writing and Toby's passion and enthusiasm is sure to make HERMIT a worldwide success.’

S.R. White said: ‘I'm thrilled to be joining Toby and his team in the publication of HERMIT. Bringing Dana Russo to life has been a labour of love, and I know it's in great hands with Headline. I look forward to sharing Dana with readers.’

S.R. White worked for a UK police force for twelve years, before returning to academic life and taking an MA in Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University. He now lives in Queensland, Australia.